THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE TWITTER BAN ON NIGERIAN CITIZENS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background Of The Study: It has been known for a long time that social media is a type of human interaction in which individuals participate in the production, sharing, and/or trading of information and ideas within online groups and networks. The proliferation of social media platforms has led to the development of brand-new online social networks. On these platforms, individuals are able to interact with one another and share information, news, and ideas at an unprecedented speed and level of convenience (Premium Times 2021). As a consequence of this, the implementation of such technologies looks to have the ability to alter the social configurations and relations that exist in the present day (Zhang, W., Johnson, T.J., Seltzer, T. & Bichard, S. 2010).

With access now available to a sizeable majority of the world's population, the internet has emerged as the most significant technical advancement of the 20th century. In today's culture, the utilization of these technologies in the expedient, cost-effective, and convenient transmission of vital information and ideas among individuals via online media platforms such as Twitter has become of utmost significance (Manning, J. 2014). According to Sajindra, K., and Patil, R. (2013), networked digital technologies are transforming mass public communications in a variety of ways. These technologies are facilitating not only new forms of antagonism and social fragmentation, but also deliberation, debate, civil participation, and other forms of social interaction. This is because these technologies make it easier for people to communicate with one another over the internet (of which Twitter is a typical example).

As a consequence of this, Twitter promotes conversation and public engagement in a wide range of issues that are of interest to people. Therefore, the unlimited participatory nature of Twitter has created several opportunities for the general population to engage in debates regarding a range of environmental concerns (an experience in Nigeria, according to Sajindra et al.) (Sajindra et al) (2013). To be more precise, business owners and cooperative groups have utilized Twitter as a marketing tool to promote their services. It is impossible to overstate the relevance and advantages of Twitter. It has served as a platform for reaching out to customers and specific audiences, which has, as a result, facilitated the expansion of business for small and medium-sized companies (Premium Times 2021). As a consequence of this, it is abundantly obvious that Nigerian individuals are using Twitter for reasons that are appropriate for them. These objectives include, amongst other things, the expression of ideas and the practice of free speech regarding societal and political concerns (Ajazeera New 2021). Despite the fact that Twitter provides many essential services, a number of countries, including Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Kingdom, North Korea, Iran, China, and most recently Nigeria, have declared and maintained the platform's ban. There is little question that the extraordinary and dramatic move to stop Twitter in Nigeria would have repercussions that extend throughout the entirety of the nation (politically, economically and in other wise). On the other side, the topic of investigation for this study is the factors that led to the suspension of Twitter access for Nigerian people.

​​​​​​​Statement Of The Problem

Following the suspension of President Muhammadu Buhari's account for breaking the social media company's "abusive" behavior rules, the Nigerian government halted Twitter's operations in the country. Buhari's account was suspended for 12 hours after he threatened to punish regional secessionists accused of attacking government buildings (Aljezeer news 2021). However, in a statement made in Abuja on Friday, 5 June 2021, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension of Twitter, citing the platform's persistent usage for actions capable of undermining Nigeria's corporate existence (Aljezeera.com). Thus, this erratic choice has a massive impact not only on Nigerian society, but also sends the erroneous signal to foreign investors, and small businesses in Nigeria which rely on Twitter for a livelihood would be equally impacted. "Businesses in Nigeria use digital media to attract customers, expose their brands, and connect with numerous stakeholders," Sesan explained to AlJazeera. As a result, the citizens of the country have been limited by this ban as most social media users in Nigeria are acquainted with the use of Twitter for sharing educative, urgent, and business information (Premium Times 2021). They also use Twitter to express their opinions and participate in both social and political matters. According to Aljezeera's interview with Emmanuel Alumona, "Twitter is similar to my local newspaper. When I want to check what's going on in the country and people's opinions, I refresh my timeline; nevertheless, it's too difficult to tolerate Twitter's ban because most Nigerians, including myself, may no longer be kept up to date on societal affairs". it is therefore upon this background that this study aims at identifying the causes and consequences of the Twitter ban on Nigerian people.

​​​​​​​Objectives Of The Study

The major target of this study is to identify the causes and consequences of the twitter ban on Nigerian citizens. Below are the specific objectives of this study.

1. Identify the major causes of the Twitter ban in Nigeria.

2. Identify the negative effect of the Twitter ban on Nigeria's citizens.

3. Identify if the Twitter ban has had any effect on the social interaction of Nigeria's citizens.

1.4 Research Hypothesis

An hypothesis refers to an experimental statement, tentative in nature, showing the relationship between two or more variables. It is open to testing and can be accepted or rejected depending on whether it agrees or disagrees with the statistical test.

The study will test the validity of the following hypothesis:

H01: The Twitter ban has had no negative effect on Nigeria's citizens.

H02: Twitter ban has no effect on social interaction of Nigeria citizens.

1.5 Significance Of The Study

This study will deeply unveil the unforeseen effects of the mercurial decision against the use of Twitter in Nigeria. In light of this, the study will also educate/apprise the Nigerian government on the dangers that the indefinite suspension of Twitter in the country may cause, as well as enlighten them on the importance of listening to the voices of their citizens.More so, for businesses in Nigeria which use Twitter to reach their customers, this study will be of great use to them as the study will not be considered complete without proffering solutions that will be practically applicable. Lastly, this study will serve as a source of relevant information for students, researchers, other academics, and the general public.

1.6 Scope Of The Study

This study focuses on the causes and consequences of the Twitter ban on Nigerian citizens, with the specific goal of identifying the major causes of the Twitter ban in Nigeria, identifying the negative effects of the Twitter ban on Nigerian citizens, and determining whether the Twitter ban has any effect on Nigerian citizens' social interactions.Therefore, this study will sample only public opinion and will be delimited to Asaba Delta State residence.

1.7 Limitation Of The Study

Financial constraint- Inadequate funds tend to impede the researcher's efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process (internet, questionnaire, and interview).

Time constraint-The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.

1.8 Definition Of Terms

Social media

Social media, basically, concerns all forms of new media technology that offers interactive sharing of information, videos, pictures, text and comments with such websites as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, Youtube and Blogs.

Twitter: Twitter is an American microblogging and social networking service on which users post and interact with messages known as "tweets".

Ban: A ban is a formal or informal prohibition of something. Bans are formed for the prohibition of activities within a certain political territory.